In The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches or Warboys, Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson suggest that as ghosts returning to claim a sweetheart, and young girls drowning after being jilted by a lover are commonplace, the Fair Maid of Clifton may be an interpretation of an "otherwise unrecorded local tragedy."
"The Fair Maid of Clifton" is an English folk ballad based in Clifton, Nottinghamshire. There are various versions, one noted by John Throsby in 1797 (in his additions to a book by Robert Thornton called History of Nottinghamshire) is of a young woman "debauched and murdered" by her sweetheart and thrown into the river. The poet Henry Kirke White wrote a version based on an earlier telling (recorded 1624) in whch the young woman is destroyed by demons for being unfaithful to her absent suitor. Later versions record her death is due to divine retribution or the ghost of her jilted suitor.
In The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches or Warboys, Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson suggest that as ghosts returning to claim a sweetheart, and young girls drowning after being jilted by a lover are commonplace, the Fair Maid of Clifton may be an interpretation of an "otherwise unrecorded local tragedy."
CL Holland
7/4/2013 06:18:54 am
Thanks. And same to you! :)
CL Holland
7/4/2013 06:17:31 am
There do seem to be an awful lot of these sorts of tales in British folklore! 6/4/2013 12:06:27 pm
One of my favorite childhood memories is listening to Grandma telling stories (ballads). Always tales with dramatic endings, much like the Fair Maid of Clifton. So, naturally, this took me there. Thanks for the read.
CL Holland
7/4/2013 06:18:23 am
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for visiting. :)
CL Holland
7/4/2013 06:16:07 am
The Lore of the Land? It's one of my favourite reference books. Comments are closed.
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